Monday, August 31, 2009

Good Frugal Day again today...

Okay, going to the dentist isn't cheap (But necessary), but here is what I did the last few days..

..gathered tomatoes from my garden and made salsa.
..took the apples from camping and made applesause
..ran and did Kmart Doubles.
..Got 2 car booster seats from my kids for free!
..got some brand new outdoor lighing kits for free!
..got 2 free samples in the mail
..got my Subway $5.00 gift card for free from Coke rewards
..got my Starbucks $10.00 gift card for free from Swagbucks
..went to the library used book sale, spent $15.00 but I got tons of new books, videos, cd's and stories on CD for the kids and I. It was a great fun hunt!

Hurry! Betty Crocker Potatoes Sample

This will go quick! Follow this LINK!

Kmart Super Doubles


I had to go into the town near us for a dentist appointment. As long as I was there, I stopped at their Kmart. $31.74 before coupons.

I picked up
*4 packs of paper plates, $2.00 off coupon from Sunday Paper, Priced $3.55, coupon doubled making them free
*2 Rimmel Mascaras, $2.00 off coupons from this months ALL YOU Magazine. Priced $3.29, coupon doubled making them free
*Neutra Air, on sale $2.67, had $1.00 off coupon which doubled, making it .67 a can
*Endust, Price $3.29, had coupon for $2.00 off from this past Sunday's Coupons, doubled making it free
*1 box of Ziploc Evolve, on sale for $2.00, had the .55 cents off from the Sunday Paper which doubled, paying 90 cents ( needed this for my son's school supply list)
*Magic Eraser, 2 pack, On sale for $3.00, I had a $1.00 off coupon that doubled making it $1.00

Total after coupons and tax: $3.62

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Run to Walgreens ...

After church, I went to Walgreens.
First Transaction
Goody Hairband, On clearance for $1.29 and I have a Try me Free Rebate. So I will just pay the tax after rebate.

Second Transaction:
4 bags of Bic Pens, BOGO sale and I had $1.00 off coupons from Sunday paper
Men's Razor System, $3.99 and you get a $4.00 RR back
1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush, $2.99, I had a 40 cents coupon from todays Sunday Paper and you get a $3.00 RR back
2 Reach Tootbrushes,$2.99 each, I had a BOGO coupon from the sunday paper and you get a $2.00 RR back
Scotch Mail Cutter, Clearance $1.59 and I had a $1.00 off coupon
Carefree Pantyliners, $1.99 and you get a $2.00 RR

Total out of pocket was $5.11 and I got $11.00 in RR's back.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

IP Coupon for Marie Calendars

Marie Calendars Homestyle Meals IP coupon. This coupon is for $1.50 off of one!
LINK

Super Doubles at KMart starts tomorrow!

2 weeks ago, I posted my 6 transactions from Kmart. Those Transactions were from Super Doubles. Well, again Kmart has SuperDoubles coming up. It starts tomorrow and goes through Sept 5th. This means that when you spend $25.00 with them, they will double 10 coupons up to $2.00 each. You can go to Hot Coupon World and look at the list of participating stores.

Rumor is this is the last one for the year, but I can't confirm that. There are many freebies you can stockpile from this, so go out and have fun!

I am going to go through my coupons and see what I want to use. Also, you can use IP coupons, so check out the coupon bar on the right hand side of my page. Several of those coupons can be used for cheap items at Kmart.

( Rules ) Participating stores only. Amount of credit from doubling a coupon cannot exceed the current retail price of a single item. No cash or in-store purchase credit will be awarded for any amount exceeding the retail price of the item. Limit 1 coupon for each item purchased. Only 1 coupon will be doubled per item. You may only purchase 4 of the same item using double coupons. Excludes Buy One, Get One offers, Kmart Savings coupons and Kmart Store coupons. Coupons do not apply to sales tax. Limit 10 coupons per customer per day.

Friday, August 28, 2009

BackPack Giveaway

My friend Merecedes is giving away a Land's End Backpack on her website. Go to Common Sense with Money and sign up! Giveway ends August 30th!

Free Chocolate Friday!

Just a reminder, It's Free Chocolate Friday!
It's Friday, that means free chocolate! Sign up and get yours!!
LINK!

IP coupons!!

LINK New coupon for a new product. Yoplait Delights. Coupon is for $1.25 off of one.

LINK coupon for New Aquaphor Baby Wash. Coupon is for $2.00 off one

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Fancy Feast Free Sample

Walmart has samples of Fancy Feast's New Appetizer. Follow Link and sign up.

Back from Camping!

Well, we went out camping and just got home! We had a great time. We kept it frugal by..
1. Camping in a location that is free to my family.
2. Bring games from home, so we didn't go out to much.
3. Found a local grocery store on the way to the campground. Dozen ears of corn for a $1.00! SO we had a cheap meal!
4. Picked berries and apples down the road from the campground (with permission!). Now, I can make about 3 jars of jam and 6 jars of applesauce for free!
5. Did go into town and hit Walgreens. They had my Glade Candles, so I picked them up with free coupon. $1.45 after tax. I also picked up garbage bags and the goody hair items that were cheap after RR. I paid nothing out of pocket, used my RR's from last trip.
6. It's the last weekend of the season, and my father is the caretaker for the campground, so all the lost and found was put out on a table. Anything not taken today was going to the dump. So, after that I got to go through what was headed to the dump. I got some cute pool toys for the kids and a nice swimsuit for me.
7. Enjoyed a few days of swimming, roasting marshmellows, singing camp songs, riding bikes, playing ball, flying kites and just relaxing!

Overall very nice 4 days.

Came home to find someone left a big bag of coupons on my door! Thanks!

Next week, back to school, are you ready???

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Free Kids in the Kitchen Cookbook

Cool! Check out this Kids in the Kitchen Cookbook! Sign up for yours!
LINK

Free Computer Game Downloads from Amazon

Amazon has a computer download game for free right now.

Big Kahuna Reef
http://www.amazon.com/Big-Kahuna-Reef-Game-Download-PC/dp/B001K7HV3Q/ref=pd_sim_sw_njs_3

Also, there is another free game from Parade Magazine.
www.parade.com/games for a free download of a game called "Splash"

Dannon Yougart Coupon Rebate!

Visit http://www.dannonomics.com/ and print a rebate form for up to $15.00 in Dannon coupons back!! Purchases must be made between August 10, 2009 to October 31st, 2009.

Good Frugal Day yesterday!!

I didn't get a chance to post about my day so I have a chance now.

First, in my mail I got my $10.00 Swagbucks Mastercard (if you don't use swagbucks, click on the SEARCH and WIN button on the right hand side of this page).

Then, I sat at my computer for a little while and claimed gift cards from all my other point programs. I claimed $10.00 Mastercard gift card and a $10.00 Starbucks Coffee Gift card from Swagbucks. I claimed a $25.00 Walgreens gift card from My Points. I also claimed a $5.00 Subway reload to my gift card and ordered another $5.00 Subway gift card from My Coke Rewards. Now, we don't drink a lot of soda in my home. But, My husband's friend, my brother and my Mother in Law and give us their coke codes. We also collect them when we go to festivals and see them laying around.

Also, we went rummaging. I found some beautiful home interior pieces for 10 cents each and some wood shelves for $1.00 each. They are gorgeous! YEAH!! I found a brand new set of twin sheets. Cute sport ones for my son. $2.00!! Also, we found a box of Matchbox playsets for $5.00! So, my son has been happily playing with it! We didn't spend alot but we had fun and it was fun family time together.

Finally, my neighbors came over and gave us 3 HUGE bags of clothes for my son. Their son is 2 years older and so he is growing out of his clothes. I WAS so happy! There were brand new shoes, snow boots, snow pants, winter jacket, gloves and mittens, sweaters, every nice condition shirts and pants!!! WOO HOO!! This is great!!!! My son will grow into a very nice new wardrobe!!!

The rest of the day, we stayed home, relaxed. We had jet steamed chicken for dinner with veggies.

Stay Frugal and have a great week!!

Friday, August 21, 2009

And the WINNER is.....

My last winner didn't contact me, so the new winner for the $10.00 Itunes gift card is....

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 18 -- Unsorted
Job Status: FINSIHED
Set #1:
18

menzmom

Okay same rules as before. You have 24 hours to email me! I will mail it out as soon as I have gotten in contact with you! Please email me at frugalmommie22@hotmail.com! If you don't contact me, I pick another winner!


Have you used Restaurant.com Yet??

Okay, a friend of my was teasing me and asked me if I had a coupon for going to dinner last night. We went out because my best friend is moving away and we wanted to have a little "celebration" so we choose to take her out. Anyways, I responded that YES, I did have a gift certificate from Restaurant.com and it was quite a good deal. So I wanted to let you all know about it.

If you go to Ebates (not signed up for Ebates?? Follow this LINK) Go to food catagory and find Restaurant.com. You will get a 15% cash back reward with Ebates for ordering a gift certificate. Once you are on Restaurant.com, find a restaurant that you like, order the gift certificate, use code PALATE and get a 70% DISCOUNT on that certificate. I ordered a $25.00 gift certificate for $4.50!!! There are restrictions, so please read the restrictions for your restaurant, but it can be a great deal!!!

Just a reminder, It's Free Chocolate Friday!

It's Friday, that means free chocolate! Sign up and get yours!!
LINK!

Target Deal for Next Week!

Target is going to have Quaker Oatmeal, Oatmeal Squares, and True Delight Bars on a Deal. Buy 5 boxes, get a $5.00 gift card!! So, the True Delights will be on sale for $2.74. $2.74 *5 boxes is $13.70, use the $1.00 off True Delights coupons from inside the boxes of the last Quaker deal and get $5.00 off. So, $13.70- $5.00 = $8.70 for 5 boxes and get a $5.00 Gift card for next time!!!

Next weeks Walgreens Deals and Senarios

Well, I was thinking about the $18.00 in Walgreen's RRs that I have. So, I am planning scenarios in my head and figure out the best deals. Here is what I came up with so far. :) Subject to change on another night I can't sleep. :)

Week of August 23rd:
Folgers Coffee 2/$5.00 - $.50 in MQ's= 2/$4.50, and you get $1.00 RR back
Deerfield Cheese slices 2/$3.00
Garbage Bags 2/$5.00
Ouchless Headband $2.99 and you get a $2.00 RR back
So total would be $15.49 ( plus tax), I would use my 2 $10.00 RR's (because they expire 8/31) paying $5.49 plus tax and get $3.00 back in RR's

Week of August 30th:
Rembrant Toothpaste $5.00 - $1.00 MQ = $4.00 and get a $5.00 RR back
Carefree Pantyliners $1.99 - $1.00 MQ = .99 and get a $1.99 RR back
Men's Zone Razor System $3.99 and get a $3.99 RR back
Colgate Action Flex Toothbrush $2.99 and get a $2.99 RR back.
Total would be $11.97, I have $11.00 in RR's (I may need some filler items), so I would pay approximately $2.00 - $3.00 and I would get back $13.97 in RR's

Thursday, August 20, 2009

BIG Shopping trip!

We haven't done a BIG shopping trip in a long time. Money has been tight with the lay off and we have been eating down our stockpile. Here is what we got today. I believe I can make at least 3 weeks (maybe 4) worth of meals.


Aldi's

3 Salisbury Steaks
3 Chicken Parmagiana
1 bag of English Muffins
2 pints of blueberries!
4 Frozen juice concentrates
4 chuck cheese blocks
1 bag of tortilla chips
1 bag of corn chips
2 bags of bananas
2 packs of bologna
2 cans of speghettios
5 pounds of ground turkey
1 frozen pink lemonade
2 hot dog buns
2 hamburger buns
head of lettuce
3 pounds of butter
2 packs of cheese slices
1 jar of parmesan cheese
6 packs of hot dogs
2 large dozen eggs
2 blocks of cream cheese
5 pounds of baking potatoes
1 12 pack of lemon lime soda
1 12 pack of root beer ( GASP! SODA!!!)
Total: $62.90

Target
1 box of Cinnamon Granola Bars
2 boxes of Velvetta Cheese and shells
1 jar of apple sauce
6 yogurt cups
1 family size yogurt
3 big blocks of Velvetta
2 deodorants
2 carmex lip balms
4 Transformer toys (Christmas Shopping!)
Total after coupons: $22.71


Kmart:

1 Covergirl Blush
1 Nail Polish
1 Tweezers
3 bottles of Dandruff Shampoo
2 Tag Body Sprays
1 Tag Deodorants
1 box of dog biscuits
Total after coupons: $5.37


Kmart Transaction #2:

Box of dog Biscuits
Total after coupons: .16 cents

Kmart Transaction #3:
2 cans of Neutra Air
2 containers of Lysol wipes
1 bottle of Lysol Cleaning solution
1 pack of Cat treats
1 box of dog biscuits
5 Glade Candles ( I Found the TRY ME FREE Candles!!)
1 bottle of fabric softner
2 bottles of bathroom cleaner
4 packs of pudding cups
1 box of cereal
Total after coupons: 3.57

Logli's
5 4 pound bags of sugar
4 bottles of Nestea
1 bottle of Hot Dog Relish
2 packs of MOtt's Apple sauce
1 bottle of snapple
3 bags of chex mix
3 bottles of BBQ sauce
1 bottle of chocolate milk
8 containers of Mentos Gum
1 loaf of bread
1 bag of bagels
2 boxes of fruit snacks
1.67 pounds of grapes
2 boxes of jello
3 bags of frozen in a bag meals
1 bag of teeth cleaners
1 bag of flossers
3 bags of shredded cheese
4 frozen containers of juice
1.5 pounds of riblets
2.3 pounds of chicken drumsticks
2 pounds of stew beef
1.75 pounds of Pork Steak
3 pounds of rib eye steak
2.5 pounds of Boneless Chuck Steak
Total after coupons: $58.08


Kwik Trip

4 bags of milk
1.4 pounds of bananas
$4.82

So my total OOP was: $157.61, not too bad.

Here is my menu plan: ( 3 weeks * 7 days = 21 meals)
Breakfast:
Yogart with fruit (2 days)
bagels with cream cheese (2 days)
pancakes (4 days)
cereal (6 days)
eggs (4 days)
oatmeal (2 days)
Crepe (2 days)

Lunch: ( kids in school, me at work, we only need 15 lunches)
Hot dogs (4 days)
Speghettios (1 day)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (3 days)
Honey and Peanut Butter Sandwiches (2 days)
Mac and Cheese (2 days)
riblets (1 day)
Bologna Sandwiches (2 days)

Dinner:
Crock Pot Stew (2 days)
Walking Tacos (2 days)
Bagged Frozen Dinner (2 days)
Pork Steaks (1 day)
Salisbury steak (3 days)
Sloppy Joes (3 days)
Hamburger Helper (2 days)
Chicken Parmesan (3 days)
rib eye steaks (1 day)
Chicken Drumsticks (2 days)
Speghetti (4 days)

Sides with dinner
Rice
Pasta
Green beans ( from garden)
Corn ( from garden)
Small side salad ( from garden)
mixed veggies
Garlic Bread
Apple sauce

Snacks:
Fruit snacks
Cheese and Crackers
Grapes
Bananas
Apples ( From friend's garden)
Blueberries
Cinnamon Granola Bars
Pudding cups
Jello Jigglers
Chex Mix
cheese dip with crackers
Popsicles

Drinks:
Water
Juice
Kool Aid
Milk
Flavored Water
Tea
( and a soda ...maybe as a treat!)

So, that gives you an idea of what I do. It took me 2 hours to organize my coupons, and I shopped from 10 am until 2:30pm. But now, I am done with BIG shopping for another 3 to 4 weeks. I will pick up the cheese that is going to be on sale at Walgreens next week, but I don't have any other plans to buy food. I will probably stop by Kmart one more time before double coupons runs out.

As far as storage, which was a question that was brought up to me. I keep 5 shelves in my basement full of stockpile canned and jarred food. Boxed food stays in my cabinets and a pie safe in my kitchen. Health and beauty products are on shelving in the bathroom. Cleaning products are either in 3 different locations depending on the type of product (laundry, bathroom or other). I keep most of my medicine stockpile in a rubber maid under my bathroom sink.

Do you have a RIte Aid Pharmacy near you?

If you do, Ad Perk has a new program. If you don't know what Ad Perk is, it's a web site that allows you to watch videos and earn free items. Recently, Rite Ait teamed up with Ad Perk. You watch short video "commericals" about Rite Aid products and get valuable coupons towards those items. Then you can get a $5.00 off when you spend $25.00. Here is the link, http://my.adperk.com/splash/d30b50da/index.html

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Super Walgreens Deal!!

Right now, Walgreen's has spent $25.00 and get a $5.00 RR. The $25.00 can be anything and you can use coupons to get your total down!! Also, they have an IVC coupon for $2.00 off Huggies Baby Wipes. IF you have the coupon for .50 cents off from the sunday paper, you will pay .29 cents a tub of wipes!! Also, this is unlimited. I had 5 coupons so I picked up 5 tubs! YEAH! They also have all their summer stuff 75% off!

Here is first transaction:
2 packs of crocs charms (75% off)
1 Helicopter Rip Cord Toy (75% off)
2 Spiderman books (75% off)
1 bottle of scope (on clearance $2.00, I didn't have a coupon)
5 tubs of Huggies Wipes
2 cans of black olives
2 cans of mushrooms

Total: $27.67
Then I used a register reward from my last trip: $23.67
Then minus coupons: $8.32
Then I got the RR for $5.00!

I decided to go back for a second transaction. I bought all RR things. So out of pocket after coupons was $21.44, but I got $13.00 in RR's back. So I have a total of $18.00 RR's to spend. :)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

I did another run to Kmart, for doubles and clearance shoes


Well, I went back to Kmart. They had 30% off clearanced shoes and I needed pull ups for the kid. So, off I went. I used the $3.00 off $20.00 purchase of consumables catalina that they gave me in my last transaction.

Transaction 1.
1 Tweezers
1 Shoes Polish
1 Pair of black High Heels
1 pair of slip on shoes
1 pillow
1 can of Neutra Air
1 bag of Wiskas Cat Food
1 box of Dog Biscuits
4 bottles of soda
2 packages of Mega Roll Toilet Paper
Total before coupons and shoe 30% off: $68.80
Total after coupons and percentage off: $20.97

Transaction 2
1 Tweezers
1 pair of Sandle shoes
1 pair of tennies shoes
2 packs of Good Nights Shorts
4 boxes of Cereal
Total before coupons and shoe 30% off: $70.21
Total after coupons and shoe 30% off: $25.50
I also got a $5.00 Kmart Gift card rebate for the cereal. The Cereal was $2.25 and I had $1.00 coupons that double. So I paid .25 cents per box and then when you buy 4, you get a reciept to mail in for $5.00 gift card! I really wanted a new pillow and they had one on sale for $3.00.

Tranaction 3:
Box of Dog Biscuits.
.16 cents after coupon
When you buy the Crunch and Clean Dog Biscuits, a catalina for a free MilkBone Dog Biscuit box spits out. So I had to go use that too! I was able to give all the dog biscuits to the cute little neighbor dogs!!!
I also stopped at Sentry and picked up the 69 cent eggs. I got 2 dozen.

Doubles at Sentry, Kmart and Pick n Save

Okay, several comment were being made on my giveaway that had nothing to do with the giveaway. So, in order to keep that going as the giveaway blog, I deleted those comments and I am starting this thread.

The Sentrys in Elkhorn and Whitewater double 50 cents every day. Many other Sentry stores have double days. So you need to call and ask your store about the specific details.

Pick N Save has a Doubles program too. I believe the Double Daze happens every Wednesday. I know Jess is a Pick n Save shopper and she would know the details. So please post if you know the details.

Kmarts, this week, are doubling up to $2.00, limit 4 like coupons per order, limit 10 coupons per order. Must spend $25.00 in the order. Kmart does these double days about one every 5 or 6 weeks.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Ran for Kmarts Super Doubles and to Walgreens!




First stop: Kmart Super Doubles. The rules are: Spend $25.00 and you can have 10 coupons double up. The coupon limit is $2.00 ( so it doubles to $4.00). Limit 4 coupons of the same item.


I bought

4 Chinet paper plates. $3.55 each, Free after coupon from Sunday Paper
1 Tag Deodorant. $3.50, .50 cents after coupon from Sunday Paper
1 Degree Deodorant. $3.99, .99 cents after coupon from Sunday Paper
1 AXE Shampoo. $4.75, .75 cents after coupon from postcard mailer
3 Pert Shampoo. $2.50, Free after coupon from Sunday Paper
1 box of Rice Krispies, Free after Vocal Point Coupon that I got this week
1 box of Ritz Crackers, Free after coupon I got from a call in to the company
Total: $39.19
Total after coupons: $2.83
And I can send in for the Pert Rebate, so that will send me $2.50 back

Then I stopped at Walgreens. I had some RR's that expired TODAY so I had to get over there!
I got:
2 pack of Hagen Daaz, $2.50. I had $1.00 off coupons from a tear pad
2 Pringles, 2/$4.00, had $1.00 off coupon from the Sunday Paper
6 packs of M&M's, Walgreens Coupon made the 49 cents each and then I had a B2G1F coupon from a tear pad
1 bottle Soft Soap,$3.99 Got a $4.00 RR back
2 packs of Duracell, $2.99, I had a $1.00 off coupon from the Sunday paper
Total was: $21.97
After coupons it was:$9.19
And I got a $4.00 RR back.
As you notice I bought some candy. Again, we don't eat a lot of junk food but we are going up north for a camping trip and it takes 2 hours to get there. In order to keep the kids from begging for stuff at the gas station, I keep these on hand. Also, yes, I bought ice cream and Pringles. The ice cream will be a snack and the Pringles are going camping with us.
Also, today, we picked a big bucket of onions and a big bucket of green beans from the garden. Last night, we had salisbury steak and baked potatoes. The potatoes were also from the garden. :)


Some great IP coupons!

Go to Lunchboxbuilder.com and print coupons for $1.00 off Smuckers Uncrustables Sandwiches, $1.00 Mott's Apple sauce (ANY SIZE!), $1.00 off a Goldfish Crackers 12 pack!! You will see a get coupons banner at the bottom of the webpage.

WOO HOO!! IP Prints right from my blog!

Some of my readers have asked about where to find coupons! Now, you can find them right here! If you click on the orange bar on the right hand side of my page and it will link you to IP coupons!!! WOO HOO!!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Giveaway..$10.00 Itunes Gift Card!

I have an Itunes Gift Card that I am going to give away. How do you win? Well, I wanted to see who is still visiting my site after last weekends newspaper article. I will keep this giveaway open until Thursday night, August 20th at 7pm (Central time).


So, here is what you can do.
1. Leave a comment on this blog thread. (I moderate comments so you won't see your comment right away, don't worry, I will approve them all).
2. Get a second entry when you become a follower and post a comment here letting me know. (I will then check with the followers list to make sure you did!)
3. Tweet about this giveaway or post it on facebook, and come back and post a comment that you did so.

In the end, I will take all the comments on this thread and use randomizer to pick a winner. I will post the winner and that person will have to get in contact with me within 24 hours of me posting the winner. If they don't, I will pick another winner until I get a winner. If you leave an anonomyous entry, please leave an email or a name so I can post if your number is picked. I will only mail in the USA, so this is only open to USA residents.

Good Walgreens Deals this Week!

Walgreens has some good deals this week.

Soft Soap Nutri Serum Body Wash will be $3.99 and you will get a $3.99 RR. I haven't seen a coupon for this recently but if you have any other RR's. You could use them.

Mars candy bars are $.49 cents with in ad coupon & in the July 26th Red Plum Sunday Coupons there was a $1 off when you buy 2 coupon.

Please post if you find any other great Walgreens deals this week!

UPDATED! Dove Deodorant is on sale for $1.99. Follow this link to Dove's website for a $2.00 off coupon making this Free!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Being Creative, Not spending and having fun!!

Normally, I don't write articles for my blog, this blog is typically just my "notes" but I wanted to add this article.....

After having my family in the newspaper, I realized how "different" we are from the regular "Jones". I told my husband how many emails I got that asked me if I was crazy or something. Well, I am not crazy! LOL....We have just made the decision that we didn't want to keep paying interest on credit cards and not saving for our future.

So, does this mean we are sitting at home, doing nothing, feeling sorry for ourselves? NOPE! We are as busy as any other family, but we are busy at different things!

We have no cable or satillite, so we have basically no TV! We borrow movies from the library or buy kids ones at rummages every now and then. This is great because we spend the time playing board games as a family. We have fun visiting friends and family. We ride bikes together and go camping together.

You read in the newspaper how we made money stretch...well, we did it again today. We won tickets from a radio station for a childrens concert. It was a drive to get there, so we spent some money on gas. But, the free tickets would have cost $32.00 for a family of 4. ( So we saved money there, thank goodness or we wouldn't have gone!) Then we packed a backpack full of snacks and drinks. That keep our spending down for food. Also, the church that was sponsoring the concert had free snow cones, so the kids got those. Then on the way out of the concert, one of the workers offered my son the concert poster that was on the wall! So, he was lucky to meet the band and get it autographed! Free souvenir!

So, besides the gas to get us there, we did a concert for free. :)

Then we had a friend stop by our house, she had extra corn on the cob, so we got 12 ears of corn for dinner! WOO HOO! Free dinner!

Also, I just cashed in some swagbucks for a $10.00 gift card. Got my Menards Rebates from a few weeks ago. I will save those for Christmas shopping or to get anything my kids may need for school (I have everything from the list, but you never know!). My MyPoints are almost to the point I can cash them in for another gift card.

Today, we have a girl scout event for my daughter. It's paid with her cookie sale money. Which means I spend gas money, but no other money out of pocket. We will brown bag it so no money spent on fast food.

Yesterday, during the morning, we went swimming. This is free because we buy the state part pass at the beginning of the year. That state park pass has gotten us into free concerts, free swimming, free family events, hiking, biking trails, etc. It allows us to use all those things for free. ( I guess you can say it's not free, but a one time cost of $25.00 for the state park pass).

There are so many ways to find things to do without spending a ton of money. Here are some tips:
1. keep your eyes open to city, state and local things that are free. Example: our town has family fun nights. Library has kids days. etc. Churches have Vacation Bible Study.
2. be organized. If you know this is going to be 1/2 day or all day event, pack a cooler or backpack with snacks, drinks or even lunches. Food is a huge cost on families.
3. Have play dates for the kids. For children, just going over to a friends house can be a fun afternoon activity. If you work with the other moms in your children grade level, one day they can play at your home, the next they can play at their home. Each mom gets one day break! :)
4. Get discount coupons!! There are always coupons out there! From the Entertainment book, to saving Coke Points!! Admission is typically expensive!
5. Learn to say no. My parents travel alot, and my brother lives far away (3 hours by plane) and they know we will not spend our money to go visit them. My husband hates flying and the cost of going out there is very expensive. Instead, we use skype to call them and facebook to keep in touch with them. That way we know what is going on with our family, without charging a bunch of money we can't afford. We send pictures. They are also aware of the costs and completely understand our situation.
6. Buy toys, games and everything second hand. Retail costs are high. My kids are fine without WII or the newest or greatest new video games. We have leapsters, which we bought super cheap and then bought the games at rummage sales or on ebay. We have saved a bundle of money doing this.
7. Go to the park. City parks are free and you are paying for them with your tax dollars. Enjoy them.

Cutting expenses doesn't mean you sit home and complain about NOT going to a movie or an expensive concert. If you are learning to cut expenses, learn to find other ways to have fun and stay busy!!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Nestle Calendar with Coupons inside


Very cool back to school calendar, go to this LINK and fill out the form!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Trip to Target

There is a new Target out my parents home, I was out there today so I gathered up the coupons and stopped there.

I got $22.18 worth of food for $2.45.

Here is what I did:
2 boxes of cereal, store brand, Opening Store Special 50 cents a box
2 bags of chips, had Target coupons (from website) and manufacture coupon, 75 cents a bag
1 bag Chex Mix, Opening Store special and I had 50 cents off coupons from sunday paper, $1.00 a bag
12 cups of Velvetta Cheese Cups. I can save these and use them through out the year for a quick lunch at work. Store Opening Special 67 cents each, I had BOGO coupons from sunday paper
2 jars of Ragu Sauce, Opening Store Special, $1.10 a jar and I had 75 cents off 2 jars
1.5 pounds of Beef Steaks, had a $2.50 off peelie, paid $3.24 ( a bit high but a nice treat!)
1 Lisa Frank Ice Pack ( will use for my lunch box to keep things cool, on clearance 70 cents)

Total: $22.18
After coupons: $12.45
Then I used two $5.00 GC's. I earned them from the Gillette deal and the Ice Cream Deal back in June.
So OOP I paid $2.45

:) Stay Frugal Everyone!

Monday, August 10, 2009

SwagBucks $10.00 Free!

Search & Win

Good Morning, I was checking my SwagBucks account and found out that you can earn a $10.00 prepaid Mastercard for just 135 Swagbucks!! WOO HOO!! If you have a swagbucks account, RUN! They are limited to 1,000 of those cards!!

If you aren't a member of swagbucks SIGN UP NOW! They also listed $5.00 in paypal cash you can earn for only 70 bucks and many other prizes!! It's a online point earning site. Most points are earned by just doing searches ( like google) but you can also earn points by turning in old cell phones and stuff.

Click on this link to sign up
Search & Win

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Meal Planning!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the emails, posts, comments and everything from my article in the newspaper today! Wow, I didn't expect such a response! My email was full.

The biggest question everyone wanted to know is HOW do I plan menus?? So here is a basic (subject to change due to store sales) menu for my family. I don't plan each individual day. I plan 28 breakfasts, 28 lunches and 28 dinners. The number NEXT to the food is how many times in the 4 weeks we will eat that meal. The reason I don't assign an actual day is it depends on the sales, when I shop, how much I have in stockpile, or whatever. Also, if we are tired from a long day, it may be a soup and warm bread day and not a make a BIG MEAL day. So, it depends! Another thing to remember, we have two kids so these may not be meals fit for a king, but they are fit for a 6 year old and an 8 year old.

Also, during the school year, my kids qualify for lunches at school, so that cuts out my menu too!

Breakfasts
8 cold cereals (basically twice a week)
6 pancakes and fruit (or pigs in a blanket if we have sausage)
6 eggs or crepes (we use left over meats from dinner to add to the scrambled eggs)
2 waffles
3 oatmeal
2 yougart and granola
2 bagels and cream cheese, fruit and cottage cheese
Total: 29 meals

Lunch:
6 soups
8 cold sandwich or grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly
4 hot dogs (my kids love hot dogs so we have them at least once a week, for those who think that is unhealthy, we don't eat fast food, so this is their fast food!)
2 speghettios
4 mac and cheese
1 salad lunch (this is again left over veggie from my garden, left over cheese or whatever to make salads. Left over ham from the dinner the night before)
1 scallop potatoes and ham
2 sloppy joes ( again use ground turkey because it's cheaper and healthier)
I typically add fruit to lunch meals
Total: 28 meals


Dinner
4 Taco Dinners
6 Speghetti Meals
2 Hamburger Helper Meals (I use ground turkey to cut down on the sodium and fat)
2 Salisbury Steak Patties
2 Chicken Parmasean Meal
1 Chicken Dinner
2 turkey or ham meals ( depending on my stockpile)
4 leafover nights (once a week! We clean out the refrig! The kids love it!)
2 Crock pot meat stew
1 Corn on the Cob Meal
1 crock pot Chili ( with corn bread!)
2 Frozen Pizza
Total: 29 meals

Sides for dinner:
Veggies ( from the garden or frozen)
Bread
Rice a roni or some type of rice dish
Pasta Roni or some type of Pasta dish

Drinks:
Milk (buy bagged because it's cheaper, it freezes well)
Kool Aid (we make it with 3/4 cup sugar, my kids are used to that taste. Some people can't do that)
Fitness Water (we got a box full of FREE fitness waters, so this isn't a staple, but it's what we have for now)
Juice (we buy the cheap frozen Aldi's concentrate)
Water
Tea (we drink a lot of TEA!)
Chai
Hot Coco
Coffee

Snacks:
Whatever we have in the stockpile. My kids are known to have cold cereal (a small amount put in a bag) for a treat. We eat fruit, cookies, cheese and crackers, etc. for snacks!

I hope that gives you a typical menu for our family for a month. Please feel free to comment.

Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Caddy

If you visit the Scrubbling Bubbles website LINK, and you sign up for their Scrubbing Bubbles Bulletin, you get a free shower caddy!

Honey Nut Cheerios Sample and Coupon

Follow this LINK to sign up for a Free Sample of Honey Nut Cheerios and a $1.00 off coupon.

Walgreens stop!

Hey! If you got today's paper, there was a coupon for Bic Pens at Walgreens. The Bic Pens were 50 cents a pack. The coupons is for $1.00 off of 2. I ran to Walgreens and bought 16 packages. ( ANY YES, I LEFT PLENTY for other people to stock up as well!!! I even left a coupon there for someone who spots it!)



What I am going to do with that many pens? 1 bag will go to my office. 3 bags will go to stockpile. 4 bags will be put in the teacher supply gifts I give to the teachers every christmas. I make big baskets full of teacher supplies. Every year the teachers love it! (I can't give teachers things I know they will put in a rummage sale the following year, I would just rather give them things I know can help the classroom.) The rest I am going to look for a local non profit agency that may need office supplies, like the animal shelter or something. I am sure someone would be happy to have them!

How did I get so many coupons? I got the 2 from my newspapers, 2 from the ladies at church, 2 from IP prints and 2 from the Wisconsin State Journal Papers I picked up on the way home.

Great Stockpile deal!

Some great IP coupons!

Smart Source has some great online coupons this morning!

LINK

There is an IP coupons for $2.00 off Pull Ups Moist Wipes. The small packs of these are at Walmart for $1.64. So, use the coupons buy to 2, $1.64 * 2= $3.28 - $2.00 Coupon = $1.28.

There are many great coupons over there!

Free Glade Candle! and other Sunday Coupons!

Today's sunday paper coupon section has a free glade candle! It's the Smart Source coupon ad's. COOL! I have several papers so I can get about 6 to 10 of these and use them in gift baskets!! :) Check your paper for these coupons!

Also, there are some other great coupons this Sunday! $2.00 off Chinets Plates (those will be near free if they are on sale and they are great for camping), 35 cents off Jello Packs ( great for picnics or camping), Save $1.00 off 2 BIC items ( great to combine with back to school sales to get a great deal on pens), 50 cents off one bag of Crystal Sugar, Those coupons are all in Smart Source Inserts. Remember, coupons are regional so check your own papers in your area!

In Red Plum, There is Post it Note coupons and Scotch tape coupons. Recently my Walgreens had that stuff on clearance, so I will check that out next time I am running errands.

Have a great frugal week everyone!

Sample: Free Somersault Snacks!

Send in for a sample of snacks! LINK

We love our Somersaults and we can't wait to share them with you. Just pick your flavor of choice and fill out the form below -- a sample of our crunchy nuggets and a moment of mindful munching will be spinning on over to you!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Free Cucumbers!

Yeah, My friend's garden is over flowing with cucumbers! She gave me 6 big cucumbers! What a treat!!

Also, while I was gone this weekend, my husband picked a bucket of green beans, 4 onions, 4 peppers and some other goodies from the garden. I can see a stew with onions for dinner in the next week!!

Also, I checked my mail and a local radio station sent us tickets to a concert next week Friday! YEAH! We won the contest for the tickets!! YEAH!!! I am very excited!!

Wisconsin State Journal Article

Good Morning! If you are at my website for the first time, Welcome! Wisconsin State Journal Article did an article about my family and I want to welcome anyone who has seen the article and is visiting! Please post in my comments section!

Here is the http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/461196

Welcome!

Adding new Link

Friday, August 7, 2009

Free Chocolate FRIDAY!

Go get your free chocolate today! LINK Remember every Friday! FREE CHOCOLATE!

Coupons.com has some Great IP coupons!

Coupons.com has some great IP coupons right now! Go to coupons.com and print coupons for $1.00 off any 2 BIC stationary (can use with back to school sales), $.40 cents off on box of fruit snacks, $1.00 off Pepperidge Farm Cookies ( 3 oz or larger, so if you can find the 3 oz ones, you can get them close to free!), and many more! If your store doubles coupons, you could save even more!

Walgreens $5.00 off $25.00


Follow this LINK and get a Walgreens Coupon for $5.00 off any $25.00 purchase. If you combine this coupon with the RR's that you can get back, you can come up with some pretty good deals!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Free Fries and Soft Drink when you buy Angus Burger!

McDonald's has a promotion. Here is the LINK, print the coupon and enjoy!!!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Ran to pick up Rebate Items! Walgreens and Walmart



First Stop at Walmart:
4 packs of Pull Up Flushable Wipes, $1.64 each and I had $3.00/2 coupons from sunday paper
2 Healthy Choice Meals, $2.50 and I used the $2.00 off IP coupon
Total after coupons: $1.92

Then to Walgreens:
First Transaction:
2 Brutt Shave Creams, on clearance for $1.59, I had $1.00 off coupons from ALL YOU magazine
2 Swimming Mask Sets, on clearance for $3.74, picked up one for each of the kids. They have been asking for snorkles for the lake. Clearanced 75% off
1 Skip Ball, on clearance for 49 cents.
1 Sure Deoderant, On sale for $1.99, used a $1.25 coupon from Sunday Paper, and will send in for the rebate.
Total after coupons: $10.61, Will be getting $1.99 back in rebate.

Second Transaction:

2 boxes of Kellogg's Cereal, 2 for $5.00, used a $1.00 off coupon from Sunday's Paper, and got a $2.00RR Back, also qualifies for Kellogg's Rebate
2 boxes of Rice Krispies Treats, $2.00 each, had a $1.00 off WYB2 coupon
2 boxes of Pop Tarts, $2.00 each, had $1.00 off WYB2 coupon
4 packages of Keebler Fudge Cookies, $2.00 each, had 2 $1.00 off WYB2 coupon
The Rice Krispie Treats, Fudge Cookies and Pop Tarts also had a RR. Buy $10.00 in those items and get a $5.00 RR back.
So, Total OOP was $17.00.
I got $7.00 back in RR's and I am sending in the BACK TO SCHOOL REBATE from Kellogg's for $10.00.

Free Tag Book from Leap Frog


When you sign up for Learning Path, you will recieve a Leap Frog ABC book. If your children use Leap Frog products, you already know how great they are!
Follow this LINK and sign up! If you feel your kids are too old for this book, then save it as part of a gift or donate it to a preschool or day care. You will help a child learn to read and share Leap Frog Products with someone!

New Free Audio Book Download

Oprah has a free audio book download from her website. Follow this LINK. The book is titled,"Let the Great World Spin".

Healthy Choice IP coupon!

Follow this link to a $2.00 off Healthy Choice Steamers Coupon! LINK

Free Movie Monday – Redbox Code for Aug 3, 2009

The first Monday of August has arrived, and with it a new Redbox promo code for all locations…

27HZ4KT

Expires tonight (Mon, Aug 3) at midnight.

Enjoy your movie!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Great School Supplies deals at Menards!


If you can get to Menards this week, it's worth the trip. The have lots of rebates items on school supplies.

Markers, pencils, colored pencils, glue sticks, pens, kids scissors and erasers are .19 cents after rebate. (limit 10 items on the rebate)

Compass Set, 4pk. High Lighters, 3 subject notebooks and mechanical pencils are .49 cents after rebate. (Limit 10)

Backpacks are .99 cents after rebate. (Limit 6)

Dry erase board, Dry Eraser 4 pk Markers, Science Calculator are all $1.99 after rebate. (Limit 10)

Crayola Highlighters and Roller Glue Sticks are FREE after rebate. (No limit, but you do have to purchase $10.00 worth of non rebate items in order to qualify for rebate)

There is also alot of other rebate items too!

So, I went to Menards this morning after church service. I picked up:

2 cans of Hornet/Wasp Spray ( $1.99 with a $1.00 rebate back)
1 pack of Mechanical pencils
2 packs of erasers
2 packs of pencil top erasers
2 student scissors
1 box of colored pencils
2 boxes of pencils
3 boxes of washable markers
2 roller glues
2 packs of highlighters
2 super school kits
1 4 count pk of highlighters
2 compass and protractor sets
4 3subject notebooks
1 science calculator
1 4 pk of dry eraser markers
1 dry erase board
5 kids backpacks



Total: $95.88, I used merchandise rebate cards from other Menards rebates, so I paid nothing out of pocket. And I am getting $69.00 back in rebates. I did make one mistake, which means I will have to return them, I bought the Crayola roller glues and Crayola highlighters without the additional $10.00 purchase. opps!

As you can see, my kids don't need that many backpacks or highlighters going into the grades they are going into, BUT I plan on stockpiling that stuff and saving it for the kids as they get older or if I should need some of it as office supplies.

Frugalmommie as been on WITI FoxNews6 Television Milwaukee, WTMJ620 Radio, Several local newspapers, The Wisconsin State Journal, and is in a feature article in All You Magazine in the April 2009 edition.